Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Warm Up
Ask the following questions in pairs: 1. What makes you laugh? 2. Do you like to watch comedy? What kind of TV shows or movies make you laugh? 3. Do you think it is always good to laugh? Why or why not? 4. Do you prefer your friends to be serious or funny? Why? 5. Funny people live longer because they dont feel stressed out Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

Listening: Predicting...
The title of this article is: "Laughter: More than Just Medicine." What do you think the article will be about? Why do you think so? Listen to the article, which is about four and a half minutes long. Listen only, and don't worry about understanding everything.

Summarising
Listen once more. In your head, explain each paragraph's main idea in one or two sentences. Listen again, check your answers, and compare your answers with a partner. Paragraph 1: Not just humans, but other mammals have the ability to laugh. Paragraph 2: Paragraph 3: Paragraph 4: Paragraph 5: Paragraph 6:

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Vocabulary:
Look at the transcript below, which has missing vocabulary words. Try to write any words that you remember from the listening.

Laughter
The Greek philosopher Aristotle stated that only humans possess the ability to laugh. But research conducted on the subject has largely (a. _______________) this statement in recent years. Chimps, gorillas, and orangutans all laugh, although they sound quite (b. _______________) to what we view as laughter. In fact, it's been unrecognizable as laughter until recently. At play, or when tickled, a pant-like sound emerges. The difference in sound may stem from the human voice box and our ability of speech, yet it's laughter all the same. Other animals, such as rats and dogs, also possess the ability to laugh. Laughter serves as a tool for social (c. _______________), so it may not come as so great a surprise that these other social animals also laugh. Among the young, play (d. _______________) social bonds. Take tickling, for example, which young children love. For many human parents, this is one of the first elaborate ways to play with their kids, reliably producing laughter with just the anticipation and threat of being tickled. But chimps have the same tickle games among themselves, and dogs and rats both have skin (e. _______________) to tickling. Touching and being touched is an important part of what it means to be a mammal. Laughter, such as through tickling, is just one example of how the brain expresses the pleasure of play. In fact, humans are thirty times more likely to laugh when in a group than to laugh when alone. There are other social (f. _______________) as well. Research demonstrates that dominant people, such as the department head or other leaders, use laughter more frequently than the people below them. In other words, they purposely make their (g. _______________) laugh, as through this do they control the emotional climate of the group. Let's not forget just how healthy laughter can be, as it does more than create and (h. _______________) social bonds. After all, there's the old adage, "Laughter is the best medicine." To begin with, it's good for the heart, the immune system, and muscle tone. It also relieves stress and fights depression. Studies have shown that (i. _______________) angry people have an increased likelihood for heart disease, as do people who have stressful lifestyles, or are depressed. Laughter lowers the hormone cortisol, which gets released when we are under stress, and which impairs the heart. Laughter also improves the immune system by releasing additional disease-fighting antibodies, and improves the oxygen in the blood. This additionally (j. _______________) to a healthy heart, as well as fight cancers and viruses, because it helps prevent the hardening of the arteries.

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

But maybe the most important aspect of laughter comes from a quote by the actor Alan Alda. He said, "When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other." 4: Read the article, and look up any unknown words in your dictionary. We will listen one last time.

Discussion Questions: Health Nut!

Please look at the speaking handouts. Please discuss the questions in pairs.

Whilst you are doing this, please help yourself to a joke from the table. Tell your partner the joke. Is it any good? Or was it a bad joke!!! Do you know any jokes in English? Share them too!!